IntroductionBelieve
it or not, the market for high-end CD players is alive and well.
Despite the introduction of new high-end formats such as DVD-Audio,
SACD and now HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the fact remains that there is more
music available on CD than on all the new high-resolution formats
combined. The music lovers who have a large collection of music on CD
still need high-quality players in order to fully enjoy the music that
they have spent so many years amassing.

The CDP-202 ($6,500) is the latest and greatest of the
stereo-only “CD player” options in Classé’s Delta series of products.
The Delta Series is the first new product series from Classé Audio
since Classé became part of the B&W group. I place CD player in
quotes when describing the CDP-202, as it will actually play just about
any non-high-definition disc format other than SACD.

The new Delta Series CD player screamed “well-made high-end audio
component” from the moment it arrived. Once I removed the player from
its well-packaged wrappings, I was impressed with the industrial design
and build quality of the CDP-202. The industrial design of the CDP-202
is virtually identical to the previously reviewed CDP-300, but is worth
going over again. The design is the brainchild of Morton Warren and
Native Design Studios.

The
front and side panels feature a “U” shape extrusion. The aluminum panel
features a fine brush finish and large radius corners. There is a large
black aluminum bezel toward the left side of the front panel that
surrounds a three-by-two-inch LCD touch screen. The bezel runs the full
height of the unit and is consistent in appearance with the rest of the
Delta Series. Another piece of black aluminum approximately half an
inch high bisects the height of the CDP-202’s front panel. The aluminum
accent line extends to the left of the bezel by approximately one inch.
This portion forms a standby button with a small status LED. The line
extends to the right of the bezel across the front of the unit and
contains a slot for disc loading. The slot glows with a blue light when
empty and ready for a disc. The bezel itself has two discrete black
aluminum buttons, one on each side of the touchscreen, a menu button on
the left and an eject button on the right. “Classé” is laser engraved
above the panel and “CDP-202” below. The overall effect is unique and
stunning.

The advanced industrial design is not limited
to the player’s good looks. The top panel is vibration-dampened black
anodized aluminum. The solid black back panel is busier than one would
expect for a CD player, with single-ended and balanced analog audio
outputs, digital outputs both AES/EBU, optical and coaxial varieties,
composite and s-video outputs, trigger inputs/outputs, IR input/output,
CAN Bus in/out, IEC power plug and, lastly, a power switch.

Opening
up the CDP-202 reveals an interior that is as gorgeous as the exterior.
In the front left corner is a transformer for the audio board. To the
right of that is the transport power supply. The TEAC DVD-Rom drive
fills out the front of the player. The entire right rear portion of the
player is filled with a circuit board that contains a 24-bit/192 kHz
upsampling chip, and triple Burr-Brown PCM1792 digital to analog
converters. Miscellaneous other daughter boards fill out the remainder.
The entire package measures 17-and-a-half inches wide by four-and
three-quarters inches high and 16-and-a-half inches deep. The CDP-202
weighs a respectable 26 pounds and rests upon shock-absorbing feet.

The remote itself is worth a mention: it is made out of heavy gauge
aluminum, flat across the top and semi-circular on the bottom, so it
fits nicely in your hand. The front panel allows the transmission of IR
signals and the back piece is black anodized aluminum. A special
screwdriver is provided to remove the back piece to change batteries.
The keys are well laid out and illuminated with a soft blue light. All
in all, it is an excellent remote that is an appropriate interface for
a player of this caliber.

The video section of the CDP-202 is somewhat limited and is primarily
meant to be used as a control interface for the both the player’s
functions and navigating menus on a DVD-Audio disc. While the S-video
and composite video outputs are completely satisfactory for what they
are, in order to get video that matches the level of the audio quality,
one should explore the Classé CDP-300.

Classé
has long recognized timing accuracy or jitter as a substantial factor
in the sound quality of digital audio systems. Classé works hard to
maximize timing accuracy by routing the digital signal through what
they call CPLD, (Complex Programmable Logic Device) and sample rate
converter, which converts the signal to 24 bit/192 kHz and re-clocks
the signal before it goes to the D to A converters.

The
stereo DACs contain 8x oversampling filters. There are separate DACs
for both the single-ended and balanced circuits. The single-ended
circuits are topnotch, but the balanced circuits take it to the next
level by operating in a true “double balanced” mode, wherein each half
of the balanced signal is treated differentially.

In addition to the plethora of high-technology features to achieve
optimum sound quality, the CDP-202 is replete with numerous convenience
and control features including, but definitely not limited to, variable
channel outputs, two-channel mix-down of multi-channel recordings,
numerous control modes and easy to navigate menus.

The menu system was direct and easy to navigate. I quickly went through
all the options for triggers, displays and outputs. While my system was
very simple, it would be quick and easy to configure the unit to
integrate into any system.Music Listening
When
I first got the CDP-202 up and running in my system, I had an easy time
running though all the options and menus. This player can be set up in
a few different ways in order to match your needs and tastes. When
playing Michael Penn’s album March, I paid particularly close attention
to the track “This and That.” In this track, Penn’s vocals are
accompanied by an acoustic guitar, both cleanly recorded. Listening to
this track through the Classé, I found that the soundstage was
appropriately sized, placing the listener close to but not on top of
the action. Imaging was sharp and solid without any float. The guitar
was reproduced with a great amount of finesse and detail. There was a
relaxed sense of ease while listening to this track, but not at the
cost of any detail. The Classé maintained a good sense of rhythm,
well-timed but more relaxed than analytical.

I
then listened to U2’s War album (Island – Mobile Fidelity). “Sunday
Bloody Sunday” is a pretty forward recording and can be abrasive on
lesser systems. While listening to this track through either system
sourced by the Classé, there was never any harshness. I noted that the
highs were extended and open, with a clear and smooth decay. The
soundstage on this track was notably and appropriately larger than on
“This and That.” The vocals were extremely clean and it was fairly easy
to pick out the many details and layers in this recording.

I
then listened to a female vocalist whose disc I had used on my recent
review of the Martin Logan Summits. Playing the very well-recorded “Dat
Dere” from Rickie Lee Jones’ album Pop Pop (Geffen), I was thankful for
the extremely revealing Summits. I played this track back through the
CDP-202 and also used the Perpetual Technologies P-1/P- 3, DSP/DAC
combination. I found that the CDP-202 seemed to have more air in the
highs and a bit more detail providing greater texture. The Classé
seemed to be a bit warmer overall, yet maintained a proper balance. The
soundstages were similar in size, but the position of the listener was
different. There was no question that the Classé’ sounded more musical
on its own.

Dynamic
contrasts, on both large and small scales, were very well-rendered. On
the reissue of Nat "King" Cole’s The Greatest Hits (DCC), "Orange
Colored Sky" begins with soft piano, bass and voice orchestration.
These relatively delicate and low-level pieces were well-detailed
against a quiet background. Within the first minute, the background
singers and brass open up with a large jump in dynamic range.

I
moved on to a DVD-Audio disc, Missy Elliot’s “Miss E. So Addictive”
(WEA/Elektra). While listening to one of my reference tracks, “Get Ur
Freak On,” the soundstage remained very wide, despite the down-mixing
to two channels, due to my system configuration. The vocals of Miss E.
and her background singers were clean and well-defined, yet also warm
and full. I ended up listening to this track several times, as I found
myself noticing various details that I had not previously noted, even
though I have heard this album through quite a few DVD players. The
Classé was detailed enough to portray the sharpness of the
synthesizers, but captured the warmth of the vocals at the same time.
Like much of this album, this track has a strong bass track. While
paying attention to the bass, I found that the lower registers had a
bit of bloom and, in comparison, perhaps just a touch less of an edge
than the Perpetual Technologies combination.

I
also listened to one of Classic Records’ high-definition DAD discs,
John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” The title track did a phenomenal job
with Hooker’s voice. The soundstage was intimately sized and the images
solidly anchored. I was able to hear more detail through the Classé
than I had ever heard on this album through any of the DVD players
previously used.

Overall, the CDP-202 was consistently
musical. The sound was detailed, but not overly so. Where some audio
components control the sound reproduction with rigid total command
authority, the Classé seems to gain control over the sound with
seduction. The sound does not feel forced, but rather relaxed without
sacrifice of detail, providing a musically revealing picture. The
midrange was relaxed and slightly recessed in position, with the highs
well extended and smooth. The CDP-202 was completely devoid of the
glare and grain that plague lesser players.

The DownsideThe
CDP-202 is one of, if not the, finest CD player I have had in my house,
and it is hard to criticize. I wondered if HDCD would have provided
further sonic benefits with HDCD-encoded discs. My experience with
other players indicates that this is quite possible. My other wish is
that the player would accommodate SACDs. Over the past few years, I
have collected a few SACDs that have great stereo tracks, and I was
sorry that the CDP-202 could not accommodate them.

Conclusion
The CDP-202 at $6,500 is not inexpensive, but it is far from being the
priciest CD playback system on the market. The player greatly benefits
from a balanced system and I would definitely use it with a balanced
preamplifier to get the most out of the CDP-202. As with the great
debate between tubes and solid state, everyone has their own sonic
preferences; some people prefer an iron grip, whereby the component
exercises its complete command authority, while others prefer warmth
and liquidity. I found the Classé to be more or less a careful
proverbial blend of solid state and tube components. The CDP-202
displays wonderful balance and poise with all types of material,
providing plenty of detail while getting out of the way and letting the
music capture your soul.